An Egyptian court upheld the death sentences on 14 members of the militant terrorist group Al-Tawhid wal-Jihad on Monday, the AFP reported. The men were convicted of being invovled the 2011 civilian attacks in the Sinai near the Israel border that killed five Egyptian soldiers, one Israeli soldier, one Israeli policeman and six Israeli civilians.

Eight of the members of the group are still in hiding and were sentenced in absentia. The six present at the sentencing will be hung. The sentencing was approved by Egypt’s top cleric, as is customary.

"This court decision is a milestone,” said Nageh Ibrahim, an Islamist researcher and a former militant, to Reuters. “It gives a strong message to the militant groups that the state, President Mohamed Morsi's government, will not tolerate attacks on the Egyptian armed forces and police.”

According to Reuters, the same group was accused of carrying out a series of bomb attacks in 2004 and 2005 against tourist resorts in South Sinai, which led to the deaths of 34 people.

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